Mackey stole my big idea to declare Mother 3 one of my favourite games of the year--if not my very favourite of the year--despite it being a two-year-old Game Boy Advance title. I was going to be a rebel. I was going to spit out of the side of my mouth and tell you I don’t give a rat’s ass about your opinion on my taste in games, see?
Oh well, it’s good to know that I’m not the only one who thinks Mother 3 deserves recognition amongst this year‘s shiny big-budget games. Mackey and I need to stop putting things off, get married and name our twins Lucas and Claus regardless of whether or not they’re male.
All right, time to stop saying stupid things for the sake of being funny. I’m going to be serious and stupid, now. Mother 3 is the kind of game that reinforces my love for the pastime. When I finished it, I said, “God damn I am so glad I experienced that. I’m happy I’m a gamer.”
Mackey and I already have about twenty thousand Mother 3 essays between us that covers everything from the game’s emotion-driven story to the rhythm based battle system that involves you in every fight; no more turbo-mashing the “A” button while simultaneously trying to please your girlfriend with the other hand.
Mild spoilers follow the jump.
Mother 3 might be gaming’s last hurrah for sprite graphics. Mother 3 is certainly an ideal showcase for the ancient art, though it’s kind of sad when you realise how beautiful a game can look when it’s put together pixel by pixel and nobody will ever again attempt to scale such lofty heights (and few games in the history of the hobby even tried).
Mother 3 is the title that made me admire Shigesato Itoi as a story writer. I now know that well thought-out stories can co-exist with gameplay. There’s no excuse for rambling monologues, inescapable cut scenes or clichés. Admittedly, the game had me worried at times. The narrative is less subtle than Earthbound/Mother 2, often resorting to tortoise-paced scrolling text at the end of some chapters to inform the reader “THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. IT IS BAD.”
Somehow, and I have no idea how the brilliant crazy bastard did it, Itoi tipped the story back into neutrality just in time. Despite the game being deeper and more text-heavy than Earthbound, there’s still so much room to form your own opinions and realisations. For instance, the people of Tazmily village are very innocent and it quickly becomes obvious that the introduction of money and worldly goods by mean old Fassad the Arabian peddler is going to rip the utopia apart. The stage is set: Fassad and the Pork Troopers are the bad guys. The people of Tazmily are the victims, corrupted by the same material goods that have turned our brains into slush, according to our scared elders and smelly hippies lording over communes.
But Itoi didn’t take the easy way out. As the game progresses, it becomes apparent that the story isn’t black and white, despite its potential to be straightforward. Tazmily’s villagers, are innocent, but not necessarily kind. They don’t lament the loss of their simple paradise; they want things to be even bigger and more modern, which is a very human reaction to a “convenient” society. Meanwhile, it’s impossible to not feel some measure of affection for the Pork Troopers, the extended army that forces Tazmily to catch up with the wonders of technology. Despite being faceless, the Troopers’ array of personalities is impressive. Some are faithful to Porky’s mission (Screw Up Everything), but most are just going along with orders, forming friendships with one another and discussing whether or not it’s important to take off their masks before using the washroom. In other words, they act like low-end soldiers who are largely clueless about their role in a vague war, so they simply do as ordered.
Then there’s the small things that make the game unique simply because most game developers are busy making sure they have something that looks beautiful. Perfect hero, perfect teeth, perfect hair. Since Mother 3‘s release, has anyone else attempted a lead character who’s crippled, balding, lives in his father’s basement and isn’t dripping with obvious emotional baggage? There’s one instance in the game where we get a dark glimpse of Duster’s past: a quick clue that his crippled state is somehow the fault of his unpleasant father, Wess. It’s never elaborated upon, nor does the player even get to find out if it’s true or just part of the exaggerated visions that come with mushroom trips (long story). Even so, it’s a more thoughtful scene than the slow character revelations that tend to come packaged with most JRPG heroes and leave nothing to the imagination.
Itoi claims there will likely never be another Mother game. But stranger things have happened in this crazy ol’ industry and I’m confident Itoi will return to risk running his beloved series to ruin like a pack of huskies in an Alaskan race. Just kidding. The man doesn’t seem to rely on games to tell the world what he thinks. Too bad he mostly sticks to Japanese.
Merry Christmas, 61 FPS. May Santa grant you many gifts and not linger to touch himself while you sleep.
Related Links:
The Reason Why Mother 3 Never Came To America
Mother 3 Makes Me Feel Human Again
Hey RPG Hero: Go Home and Be a Family Man
